Peacock, you da bomb…read more If you're not specifically headed to the Peacock Theatre, you'll probably miss it. Even if you're dining at Tricycle right outside its front doors. The Peacock is buried right up the back of the Salamanca Arts Centre on Salamanca Place (down the far end) and its big silver doors are all that give it away. Once you're inside, it's hard not to marvel at the beautiful backdrop of rock face. Actual rock face. Literally right there. I'm sure this is frustrating for people putting on shows here because there is no backstage because ROCK FACE, but gosh it's stunning and something different, for sure. Stunning little theatre space I've seen used in some wonderful ways since I've been in Hobart. Long may it reign.

A Spiegeltent! A Spiegeltent! A Spiegeltent in Hobart!…read more As a Brisbane ex-pat I've missed the beautiful travelling Spiegeltents stopping in once a year as part of the Brisbane festival. Until 2014, Hobart had never seen one--but thanks to those event creators extraordinaire at Ten Days on the Island, in their festival down-time this year (Ten Days is every second year) they instead brought DAS SPIEGELTENT! And with the Hobart Spiegeltent in March 2014 came a collection of all my favourite acts from previous years in Brisbane's tent, so I was over the moon, to say the least. And doling out my opinion of each show left, right and centre! As well as the daily and nightly performances that ran for a couple of weeks down in front of the looming PW1 building, Hobart's Spiegeltent also played host to a mini food festival, with Smolt restaurant running a pop-up restaurant and bar full of delicious things like the most amazing salted caramel sauce I've ever dunked a churro in and far, far more. Word on the street is that things went so well, a Spiegeltent should be back again in the next off year... if not sooner. Good things are happening, Hobart!

Hands down, one of the best art experiences I've ever had! If you're an art lover, MONA makes a…read moretrip to Tasmania completely worth it! Yep, that's some high praise, I know. And even if you're not a huge art lover, if you do find yourself in Tassie, you just have to go. Take the ferry. It's the same price as an Uber fare and the museum was intended to be approached via water. It sets the stage to the entire experience. The museum itself is fascinating not just for its contents but also for the design and overall architecture and layout. Spend the day. Take your time. Get lost in the dark corners. And when you finally emerge back outdoors, spend the rest of your day at Moorilla.

Not your 'typical' museum for sure. The use of technology and the dramatic ways the art was…read moredisplayed made it an experience not just a walk through a building. Some art is certainly risqué so keep an open mind. We did see some kids there but very few. Probably the oddest thing we did is waited 20 minutes to watch the Cloaca Professional 'poop'. Just had to. Some exhibits require you to queue, scan a code and wait until your turn to enter the line. We did the Mona Confessional, although we only talked to someone when we were on the outside. It was fun. I loved the long corridors, especially the brightly lit one. It allows you to become part of the art. So many pieces engaged and interacted with you. I thought that was very cool. You need to download the app as the app senses where you are and helps you with info on the art. Maps, queuing, all in the app. It also saves your visit so you can go back and see what you viewed. You can also love/hate vote on each piece. I loved this way of experiencing art. So glad we went.

Love everything about Tasmania! We had an amazing time. Well worth the trip. Can't wait to return…read moresoon.

Here's my review of Tasmania's most renowned and long-running food festival: Whoop-de-doo…read more Sorry, Taste, but you've gotten old and dull. You're just a food hall, and Dark Mofo's Winter Feast showed us all what you SHOULD be. You've got a lot of work to do in the next few months, because 2014's barrelling your way and you've been quite shown up. Plus you only had one stall that served gin.

This was our first museum to visit in Hobart and it was free…read more The museum was spread out over a couple buildings and floors. We were welcomed as soon as we entered and picked up a helpful map. We started with the Māori exhibits, explored the various Tasmanian ecosystems, plants and native animals especially the extinct thylacine (native tiger), learned much about Australian exploration of Antarctica (close but not as close as South America), saw local paintings and more. It was easy to wander and every area was well documented. A cafe was next to the entrance in the courtyard with both indoor and outdoor seating. It was the perfect museum to start our trip and also hide from the rain.

The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) is Australia's second-oldest museum and a major…read morecultural hub located on the historic Hobart waterfront. It uniquely combines a museum, art gallery, and herbarium under one roof, showcasing Tasmania's natural, cultural, and scientific heritage. And it's all FREE. Gayle and I also stopped for some coffee and a sweet at the cafe on the Museum grounds. There's also a modest gift shop near the entrance. We enjoyed our too short visit, including some bits on convict history, a full Lego representation of a ship, some cool woodwork, and interesting straight up arts. There's lots of space and good light here and it's easy to move around and purposely get lost if you want to.

What can I say, Probably the best three days I've had in a very long time. Throw in all the awesome…read moredays getting to, and home from the festival, and it's easily one of the best weeks I've had in years. As far as locations for a festival go, Marion Bay is one of the most beautiful places in the most beautiful state of Australia. Green rolling hills bordered by forest and beach. Just as beautiful as the surrounds, the Tasmanian people really help make this event. I can't remember any time in my past when I've been surrounded by so many genuinely pleasant, honest and all round awesome people. The organisation of the event felt pretty spot on, I really can't think of many ways to improve on the festival (other than maybe somehow making leaving easier but hey, there's only so much room on the road). To go through all the great features Falls has on offer would take many more paragraphs. So you'll just have to trust me, this is what a 21st century camping music festival is all about. Even if there isn't much in the way of phone charging facilities, I soon got over it. When you can go for a swim in the morning, and then eat, drink and watch bands into the evening, life is pretty good.

We were staying at the Macq01 Hotel across the street getting ready for a hike when I decided to…read morepop into this little art gallery. Art Mob focuses on aboriginal artists and art work and I was stunned to see they had quite the collection inside. Unfortunately their space is much too small to display the immense amount of wonderful art work inside however this space is strategically placed to allow for a lot of foot traffic. Over my stay here, I ended up getting several pieces both from aboriginal artists local to Tasmania. One piece by Julian Oates is a wonderful modern piece that doesn't come much with the artist's own interpretation but clearly includes elements of aboriginal style. His brother, Reuben Oates, also paints and I ended up getting a couple of paintings from him as well featuring more classic aboriginal style with Australian native fauna. Euan is the gallery director and is extremely accommodating. For those not local, you can purchase from the website and then have it shipped anywhere. We of course were having it shipped to the US and they will package it all up for us with minimal costs. Some artists are happy to take commissioned art pieces so if something strikes your fancy but it's sold already, get in touch with Euan who can help you get what you want! Wish I had a few more days to browse the collection but alas all great things come to an end. Look forward to my next trip to Tasmania so I can stop by again!

The Arts Centre is a vibrant arts community located at Hobart's Salamanca Place, close to the…read morewaterfront and a short walk from the city's central business district. They host artist studios, galleries, venues, retail outlets, arts organisations & public spaces, in historic sandstone warehouses. We wandered through alcoves lined with galleries & shops with locals for live music or see cutting edge visual art & theatre.

SAC is a cultural hub in the heart of tourist-driven Salamanca, and is the only section of…read moreSalamanca I WANT to go when I want to get someone something beautiful. There are a bunch of gorgeous little shops and galleries under SAC's roof, all worth exploring--though if you need recommendations, my hands down favourite is Spacebar, closely followed by the maker and FIND Contemporary Jewellery Collective (please buy me anything from any of these shops and you'll be onto a winner). It would be remiss of me to not mention Bruny Island Cheese Company's little outpost shop here, too, because... well, because cheese. There's even a little cafe and a unique theatre with a natural rock wall at the back of the stage! Definitely spend some time exploring here if you're in the area.